Delivery of Branding Content and Customizations to a Mobile Communication Device

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to methods and systems for provisioning and/or customizing a mobile device. After a mobile device is purchased by a user, custom settings and information (or customization content) may be delivered to or accessed on the mobile device. In some embodiments, the customization content may be pre-loaded onto the device and access via a uniform resource identifier (or URI) string. In other embodiments, the customization content may be accessed from a remotely hosted location via a uniform resource locator (or URL) string. Additionally, customization content may be accessed via a combination of the above methods.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Mobile communication devices may be purchased at service provider retailstores, electronics retail stores, and/or at general retail stores. Avariety of activities may be performed to bring a new mobilecommunication into service. To use a mobile communication device on acellular network, it may first be provisioned. Provisioning a mobilecommunication device (e.g. a mobile phone) to operate on a wirelessnetwork involves defining and/or adjusting the mobile communicationdevice's settings that are stored in the device, and the settings storedon the network, so that the mobile communication device may properlyaccess communication services and/or execute one or more desiredapplications, and the network may recognize the mobile communicationdevice as authorized to receive service for those applications.

For example, a mobile phone may be provisioned for just voice service,voice and data service, special enterprise data service, internetaccess, e-mail, voice-mail, GPS-related services, location monitoring,etc. Provisioning may also include preferred roaming lists, user zonelists, language settings, browser settings, display settings, operatingsystem versions, security settings, access restrictions, geographicalsettings, etc. The mobile communication device and cellular network maycollaborate to provide access to these services.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a method for provisioning a mobile device isdisclosed. The method comprises: wirelessly delivering a provisioningpayload to the mobile device, wherein the payload comprises one or morefile locator, and wherein the mobile device has a plurality ofcustomization content items pre-loaded to a system memory partition ofthe mobile device; accessing at least a portion of the pre-loadedcustomization content based on the file locator; storing a copy of thepre-loaded customization content referenced by the file locator in acarrier memory partition of the mobile device; and completing acustomization process for the mobile device using the customizationcontent stored in the carrier memory partition.

In an embodiment, a method for customizing a mobile device is disclosed.The method comprises: wirelessly receiving a provisioning payload on themobile device, wherein the payload comprises one or more uniformresource identifier string; accessing pre-loaded customization contentbased on the uniform resource identifier string, wherein the uniformresource identifier string directs to at least a portion of pre-loadedcustomization content stored in a system memory partition of the mobiledevice; and completing a customization process for the mobile deviceusing the customization content stored in the system memory partition.

In an embodiment, a method for customizing a mobile device is disclosed.The method comprises: wirelessly receiving a provisioning payload on themobile device, wherein the payload comprises customization content andone or more file locator; accessing additional customization contentbased on the file locator; storing the customization content in a systemmemory partition on the mobile device; and completing a customizationprocess for the mobile device using the customization content. These andother features will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsand claims. For more details on remote branding and customization of amobile device, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on______, entitled “Implementation of Remotely Hosted Branding Content andCustomizations,” by Robert E. Urbanek which is incorporated by referencein its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, referenceis now made to the following brief description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein likereference numerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a communication system according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating another method according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a mobile communication device according toan embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a mobile communication device according toan embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of a software architecture of a mobilecommunication device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of another software architecture of a mobilecommunication device according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary computer system suitable forimplementing the several embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, thedisclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number oftechniques, whether currently known or not yet in existence. Thedisclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may bemodified within the scope of the appended claims along with their fullscope of equivalents.

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to methods and systems forprovisioning and/or customizing a mobile device. After a mobile deviceis purchased by a user, custom settings and information (orcustomization content) may be delivered to or accessed on the mobiledevice. Customization content may include graphics, images, audio files,splash screens, opening screens, backgrounds, and tones. Customizationcontent may also include customer service numbers, messaging platforms,IP addresses and port numbers, client identification, and marketcatalogs. The customization content may be used to complete aprovisioning and/or activation process on the mobile device, where thecustomization content may be installed, downloaded, and/or otherwiseaccessed during the provisioning process. In some cases, theprovisioning and/or activation process may be completed by anapplication on the mobile device, such as a provisioning application orcustomization client. In some cases, the provisioning process may beinitiated when a provisioning payload is delivered to the mobile device.The provisioning payload may comprise instructions for completing theprovisioning process. An activation process may comprise prompting auser to perform a variety of activation steps such as inputting userpreferences, transferring contacts from another mobile device,installing third party applications on the mobile device. The activationprocess may be performed after provisioning is completed, in the casethat provisioning is conceived to focus on configuring the mobile deviceand the wireless service provider network to promote basiccommunications service for the mobile device. Alternatively, theprovisioning process can be conceived to further comprise the stepscharacterized above as part of an activation process.

In some cases, the provisioning payload may include one or more filelocator, and at least a portion of the customization content may beaccessed by referencing the file locator. By accessing customizationcontent via the file locator, the amount of content that is included inthe provisioning payload, and therefore the size of the provisioningpayload, may be reduced. Additionally, the transfer time of theprovisioning payload may be reduced. In some cases, a portion of thecustomization content may be delivered to the mobile device in theprovisioning payload, where the portion delivered with the payload maycomprise small sized files or data.

In some cases, at least a portion of the customization content may bepre-loaded onto the device. The file locator delivered in theprovisioning payload may reference or identify the pre-loadedcustomization content. In some cases, the file locator may comprise auniform resource identifier (or URI) string, and the provisioningapplication may access the pre-loaded customization content based on theURI string. In some cases, the URI string may direct to only a portionof the pre-loaded customization content, where the pre-loaded contentmay include a plurality of sets of customization content, and each setof customization content may be associated with a different wirelessservice brand.

In some cases, the file locator may comprise a uniform resource locator(or URL) string, and the provisioning application may accesscustomization content from a remotely hosted location based on the URLstring. The customization content may be downloaded from the remotelyhosted location to the mobile device, and then used to complete theprovisioning process. In some cases, a portion of the customizationcontent may be acquired from pre-loaded content, a portion of thecustomization content may be downloaded from a remotely hosted location,a portion of the customization content may be delivered in theprovisioning payload, or any combination of the above.

In some cases the mobile device is suitable to be provisioned for useunder multiple different brands, each of which may feature differentbrand-specific and/or customization content. For example, the brandcontent associated with each brand may comprise sets of content, atleast some of which is different brand-to-brand. For example, a firstbrand may be associated with a first background theme, a first power-onsplash screen, a first customer care number provisioned, and a firstvoice mail number provisioned; while a second brand may be associatedwith a second background theme, a second power-on splash screen, asecond customer care number provisioned, and a second voice mail numberprovisioned. This is a simple example. In particular cases, the set ofbrand content may be more extensive.

Additionally, the device may access multiple sets of customizationcontent based on a URL, wherein the sets of content are associated withdifferent brands. In some cases, a mobile device may be capable of beingassociated with a second brand after the initial provisioning processhas been completed. For example, a user may wish to use the same device,but with a different brand, carrier, or service, or the device may bereturned and reset. In this case, the mobile device may complete asecond provisioning process, wherein the customization content accessedduring the second provisioning process may be different (or associatedwith a different brand) from the content accessed during the firstprovisioning process. In other words, the device may comprise multiplebranding options (such as access to multiple sets of customizationcontent), and in a first provisioning process, a first branding optionmay be chosen, and then in a second provisioning process, a secondbranding option may be chosen, etc.

The ability to readily and easily change the brand of the mobilecommunication device may promote a variety of desirable businessobjectives. For example, a large volume order of a single model ofhandset may be priced by the original equipment manufacturer with avolume discount, and later the models may be branded to three or moredifferent brands. If the handsets had been branded by the originalequipment manufacturer, they would likely have been treated as threedifferent products and priced based on the purchase volume of eachdifferent product, possibly losing at least some of the volume discount.Additionally, devices may be rebranded at various stages in thelifecycle of the mobile device. For example, the user may return thephone to have a problem fixed under warranty. The repair center may shipa different physical device to the user and fix the failed phone. Afterfixing the failed phone, the phone may be rebranded to a differentbrand—for example a brand that is currently experiencing increasedcustomer demand—and provided to a distribution center for resale. Theinnovations and methods of the present disclosure contribute to the easeand capability of performing such branding, rebranding, andcustomization activities.

The mobile communication device may have memory established as a systemmemory partition and a user memory partition. An operating system of themobile communication device may restrict write access to the systemmemory partition and may prevent the contents of the system memorypartition being erased during reset operations, for example resetting tofactory defaults. For example, a user may be prevented from writing tothe system memory partition and/or from causing writing to the systemmemory partition. By contrast, the operating system of the mobilecommunication device may allow unrestricted write access to the usermemory partition. For example, a user of the mobile communication devicemay be permitted by the operating system to write information into theuser memory partition, at least indirectly by exercising user interfacecontrol selections, for example entering personal contacts, installingthird party applications, downloading ring tones, and the like. During areset, for example during a reset to factory defaults, the informationin the user memory partition may be deleted by the operating system. TheANDROID operating system used by some mobile communication devices mayestablish a system memory partition and a user memory partition.

The operating system may further provide write access to a carriermemory partition to privileged users or automated processes. Forexample, an individual providing a carrier memory partition key orpassword, for example an employee or contractor associated with awireless communication service provider, may be allowed by the operatingsystem to write to the carrier memory partition. Alternatively,instructions that execute on the mobile communication device may begranted the privilege to write to the carrier memory partition by theoperating system based on the instructions providing the key orpassword. In an embodiment, the key or password is unavailable andunknown to a user of the mobile communication device, for example thekey or password may only be known to the wireless service providerand/or carrier. In an embodiment, the instructions may invoke anapplication programming interface (API) provided by the operating systemto write to the carrier memory partition, and the API call may entailproviding the key or password associated with the carrier memorypartition. In some contexts, this may be referred to as a carrier memorypartition key or a carrier memory partition password. An automatedprocedure or function executed on the mobile communication device thatpresents a carrier memory partition key or password, for example ascript wireless transmitted to the mobile communication device, may bepermitted to write to the carrier memory partition. The carrier memorypartition may be used to store branding information. The carrier memorypartition further may be used to store other information unrelated tobranding and/or customization content. For further details about carriermemory partitions, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/763,428,filed Feb. 8, 2013, entitled “System and Method of Storing Service BrandPackages On a Mobile Device,” by Brandon C. Annan, et al., which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a communication system 100 is described. In anembodiment, the communication system 100 comprises a mobile device 102comprising a cellular radio transceiver 120, a plurality ofcommunication applications 108, and an optional user interface 118. Themobile device 102 may engage in a variety of communication exchanges.The mobile device 102 may comprise a variety of devices such as a mobilephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a laptopcomputer, a tablet computer, and other electronic devices having a macrocellular radio transceiver.

In an embodiment, the system 100 comprises a network 131. The network131 may be a private network, a public network, or a combinationthereof. The network 131 may promote voice communications and datacommunications. Portions of the network 131 may provide an IP MultimediaSubsystem (IMS) network. The mobile device 102 may couple to the network131 by a variety of communication paths. The mobile device 102 maycommunicate with a base transceiver station (BTS) 132 via a wirelesslink according to any of a variety of wireless communications protocols,including but not limited to code division multiple access (CDMA),long-term evolution (LTE), worldwide interoperability for microwaveaccess (WiMAX), global system for mobile communications (GSM), or otherwireless communication protocol. In some embodiments, the mobile device102 may communicate with the base transceiver station (BTS) 132 via thecellular radio transceiver 120 of the mobile device 102. The wirelesslink between the mobile device 102 and the base transceiver station 132may couple the mobile device 102 to the network 131. Additionally, thebase transceiver station 132 may also be known as a cell tower. In someembodiments, the network 131 may provide communication between themobile device 102 and a network server 134, wherein the network server134 may also communicate with a network database 136.

It is understood that the system 100 may comprise any number of mobiledevices 102 and any number of base transceiver stations 132. Thecollectivity of base transceiver stations 132 may be said to comprise aradio access network, in that these base transceiver stations 132 mayprovide radio communication links to the mobile devices 102 to provideaccess to the network 131. The radio access network may be abstracted indifferent ways and may comprise, in addition to the base transceiverstations 132, servers and data stores such as home location registers(HLRs) or servers that implement the functionality of home locationregisters, visitor location registers (VLRs) or servers that implementthe functionality of visitor location registers, base stationcontrollers (BSCs), mobile switching centers (MSCs), and other networknodes that are specifically associated with providing wireless accessand connectivity to the mobile devices 102.

The communication applications 108 may comprise a voice communicationapplication, a data communication application, a web browserapplication, an email application, a short message system (SMS) ortexting application, a multimedia message system (MMS) application, andother communication applications. The communication applications 108 maybe standard communication applications that are delivered by an originalequipment manufacturer (OEM) who assembles the mobile communicationdevice 102. The communication applications 108 may be stored as firmwareor software in a trusted memory area of the mobile communication device102. The communication applications 108 may expose applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) accessible to other applications toprovide wireless communication functionality to the other applications.

The communication applications 108 may be any of a variety ofapplications. One of the communication applications 108 may be atelephone application that receives dialed digits and attempts tooriginate a voice call—for example a voice over IP (VoIP) call—to acalled telephone. One of the communication applications 108 may be a webbrowser application that requests content from the network 131, forexample by sending out a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) messageembedding a universal reference locator (URL). One of the communicationapplications 108 may be a media player that requests streaming ordownloading media from the network 131. Many of the communicationapplications 108 may depend upon communication service provided by anIMS network to deliver their functionality to an end user of the mobiledevice 102. One of the communication applications 108 may comprise amobile transaction interface, where a user may complete a purchase usingthe application, and secure information, such as credit cardinformation, may be communicated through the application. In someembodiments, the communication applications 108 may be stored in asystem memory partition 104 of the memory of the mobile device 102.

The user interface 118 of the mobile device 102 may, in someembodiments, comprise a display, an input system, a speaker system,and/or a microphone. In some embodiments, the display may comprise ascreen, and the input system may comprise a keypad and/or a touchscreen, for example. The speaker system may communicate audio (such asmedia, messages, ring tones or phone call audio) to a user of the mobiledevice 102. The microphone may receive voice and/or audio from a userand/or communicate audio to a user. In an embodiment, a user may utilizethe user interface 118 to communicate with the mobile device 102, forexample, to initiate the execution of one or more of the communicationapplications 108. Additionally, a user may receive communication fromthe mobile device 102 via the user interface 118, such as phone calls,text messages, messages, emails, contact information, calleridentification, call history, internet access, etc. A user mayadditionally employ the user interface 118 for viewing and/or listeningto media such as music, movies, shows, videos, photos, games etc.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may comprise a memory systemdivided into one or more partitions. The partitions may include a systemmemory partition 104, a carrier memory partition 106, and a user memorypartition 105. In some embodiments, content may be stored and/orexecuted in one or more of the partitions. In some embodiments, thecontent stored in the memory of the mobile device 102 may be associatedwith the manufacturer of the device, or may be content that ispre-loaded onto the device. In some embodiments, the term “pre-loaded”may describe content that is loaded to the device 102 before the device102 is activated by a user. In some embodiments, the communicationapplications 108 may be stored in the system memory partition 104.Additionally, a customization client 114 (or provisioning application)may be stored and/or executed in the system memory partition 104,wherein the customization client 114 may be operable to completecustomization or provisioning processes for the mobile device 102. Insome embodiments, one or more of the memory locations may comprisenon-volatile or persistent memory.

In some embodiments, pre-loaded content 112 may be downloaded to themobile device 102, wherein the pre-loaded content 112 may compriseprovisioning or customization content. In some embodiments, thepre-loaded content 112 may be downloaded to (or stored in) the systemmemory partition 104 of the mobile device 102. In some embodiments, thepre-loaded content 112 may be used by the mobile device 102 (or anapplication on the mobile device 102) to complete a provisioning orcustomization process. In some embodiments, the pre-loaded content 112may comprise at least three sets of customization content, each set ofcustomization content associated with a different wireless servicebrand. For example, each set of pre-loaded content 112 may comprisebranding and customization information and settings for a specificwireless service brand, such as a Sprint service brand, a Boost Mobileservice brand, and/or a Virgin Mobile service brand. In someembodiments, the pre-loaded content 112 may comprise at least one set ofpre-loaded content 112 that comprises generic or wholesale branding andcustomization information. In some embodiments, the generic set ofpre-loaded content 112 may be used if the mobile device 102 is brandedby a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). In some embodiments, thepre-loaded content 112 may comprise one or more of: graphics, images,audio files, splash screens, opening screen, backgrounds, and tones.

In some embodiments, a provisioning payload 113 may be delivered to thedevice 102 during the initial set-up of the device, or during asubsequent set-up procedure, such as if the device 102 is reset orreturned to factory settings. The provisioning payload 113 may containinformation and/or instructions for completing a provisioning process.In some embodiments, the provisioning payload 113 may be delivered inaccordance with OMA DM (open mobile alliance device management) protocolor framework. In other words, the provisioning payload 113 may bedelivered as an OMA DM payload. In some embodiments, the provisioningpayload 113 may be stored in the carrier memory partition 106 of themobile device 102. In some embodiments, at least a portion of theprovisioning payload may be stored in a SIM (subscriber identity module)card or a SD (secure digital) card on the mobile device, wherein the SIMcard or SD card may provide removable memory on the mobile device.

The provisioning payload 113 may communicate with the customizationclient 114, wherein the customization client 114 may use the data of theprovisioning payload 113 to complete the provisioning process. In someembodiments, the provisioning payload 113 may comprise one or more filelocator that directs to one or more of the pre-loaded content items 112.In some embodiments, the customization client 114 may access a portionof the pre-loaded content 112 based on the file locator. In someembodiments, the file locator may comprise a uniform resource identifier(or URI) string. In some embodiments, the file locator may direct toonly one of the wireless service brands, wherein each set of pre-loadedcontent 112 may be associated with a different wireless service brand.

In some embodiments, it may be desired to store the customizationcontent outside of the system memory partition 104, such as in thecarrier memory partition 106 and/or the user memory partition 105. Insome embodiments, a copy of the pre-loaded content 112 may be downloadedfrom the system memory partition 104 to the carrier memory partition106, wherein the content may be stored as customization content 110. Insome embodiments, the customization content 110 stored in the carriermemory partition 106 may persist if the mobile device 102 is returned tofactory settings. In some embodiments, the customization content 110 maybe stored in a SIM card or SD card on the mobile device. In someembodiments, if there is any unused pre-loaded content 112 on the device102 after the provisioning process has been completed, some or all ofthe unused content may be removed from the device 102. In otherembodiments, the pre-loaded content 112 may persist in the system memorypartition 104 whether or not it is accessed by the customization client114.

In some embodiments, the provisioning payload 113 may comprisecustomization content, wherein the customization content is deliveredover the air or over the wire with the provisioning payload 113. In someembodiments, the content delivered in the provisioning payload 113 maybe stored in the carrier memory partition 106 as customization content110. In other embodiments, the customization content delivered with theprovisioning payload may be stored in a SIM card or SD card on themobile device. In some embodiments, the customization content 110 storedin the carrier memory partition 106 may persist if the mobile device 102is returned to factory settings. In some embodiments, the customizationcontent delivered in the provisioning payload 113 may only comprise aportion of the total content need to complete the provisioning process.For example, the provisioning payload 113 may only contain smaller sizedfiles of customization content 110 (such as approximately 256 bytes orless), and the provisioning payload 113 may also comprise a file locatorfor the remaining customization content 110, which may be pre-loadedcontent 112 on the device 102. In some embodiments, the customizationcontent 110 delivered with the provisioning payload 113 may comprise oneor more of: customer service number, messaging platform, IP address andport number, client identification, and market catalogs.

In some embodiments, the provisioning payload 113 may comprise one ormore file locator, wherein at least one file locator may be a uniformresource locator (or URL) string. In some embodiments, the URL stringmay direct to a remotely hosted location 140, wherein the mobile device102 may access the remotely host location 140 over-the-air (or via thenetwork 131). During the execution of the provisioning process by thecustomization client 114, the device 102 may access the remotely hostedlocation 140 based on the file locator (or URL string). In someembodiments, the remotely hosted location 140 may provide customizationcontent 110, which may be downloaded to the device 102 via the network131. In some embodiments, the download of the customization content 110may be completed incrementally, wherein the content to be downloaded maybe prioritized and downloaded in priority order. In other embodiments,the customization content 110 may be downloaded all at once, or in onetransaction. In some embodiments, the remotely hosted location 140 maybe provided or hosted by a third party (separate from the serviceprovider and/or the manufacturer of the device 102), wherein branding orcustomization content specific to the third party may be provided in thedownloaded customization content 110.

In some embodiments, the provisioning payload 113 may comprise temporarycustomization content. In some embodiments, the temporary customizationcontent may comprise one or more placeholder, wherein the placeholder(s)may be replaced during the provisioning process by customization content110 directed to by a file locator (as described above). The file locatormay be a URI string directing to pre-loaded content 112, the filelocator may be a URL string directing to a remotely hosted location 140,or a combination of URI and URL strings may be used to acquire thecustomization content 110.

In some embodiments, downloading customization content 110 from theremotely hosted location 140 may be completed incrementally. Forexample, the content to be downloaded to the device 102 may beprioritized by importance for completing the provisioning process, andif the content cannot all be downloaded at the same time, the contentmay be downloaded in priority order. For example, the device 102 mayhave a weak or roaming connection to the network 131 when the downloadis initiated, which may hinder the download of the complete content. Insome embodiments, the download of content to the device 102 may bepartially completed and then postponed until the device has a betterconnection with the network 131 before being completed. In otherembodiments, the download of the customization content 110 may bedelayed until a better connection is acquired. In some embodiments,placeholder content may be used on the device 102 before the download iscompleted, wherein the placeholder content may be already loaded ontothe device, may be delivered in the provisioning payload 113, or may bedownloaded to the device 102. In some embodiments, the user may not becharged or billed for data used to download the provisioning payload 113and/or the customization content 110 from the remotely hosted location140.

In some embodiments, all of the customization content 110 used tocomplete the provisioning process may be provided by the pre-loadedcontent 112. In other embodiments, all of the customization content 110used to complete the provisioning process may be downloaded from theremotely hosted location 140. In other embodiments, a portion of thecustomization content 110 used to complete the provisioning process maybe downloaded from the remotely hosted location 140, and another portionof the customization content may be delivered to the device 102 with theprovisioning payload 113. In other embodiments, a portion of thecustomization content 110 used to complete the provisioning process maybe provided by the pre-loaded content 112, and another portion of thecustomization content may be delivered to the device 102 with theprovisioning payload 113. In yet other embodiments, a portion of thecustomization content used to complete the provisioning process may bedownloaded from the remotely hosted location 140, and another portion ofthe customization content may be provided by pre-loaded content 112.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a method 200 for provisioning a mobile device isdescribed. The method 200 comprises, at block 202, pre-loading aplurality of customization content items to a system memory partition ofthe mobile device. In some embodiments, the pre-loaded customizationcontent may comprise one or more of: graphics, images, audio files,splash screens, opening screen, backgrounds, and tones. At block 204,the method 200 comprises wirelessly delivering a provisioning payload tothe mobile device, wherein the payload may comprise one or more filelocator. In some embodiments, the file locator may comprise a uniformresource identifier (URI) string. At block 206, the method 200 comprisesaccessing at least a portion of the pre-loaded customization contentbased on the file locator.

At block 208, the method 200 comprises storing a copy of the pre-loadedcustomization content referenced by the file locator in a carrier memorypartition of the mobile device. At block 210, the method 200 comprisescompleting a customization process for the mobile device using thecustomization content stored in the carrier memory partition. In someembodiments, the steps of following the file locator, storing a copy ofthe content, and completing the customization process may be completedby a customization client on the mobile device. In some embodiments, thepre-loaded customization content may comprise at least three sets ofcustomization content, wherein each set of customization content isassociated with a different wireless service brand, and the file locatordirects to only one of the sets of customization content, for example tocustomization content associated with only one of the wireless servicebrands. In some embodiments, the method 200 may optionally comprise, atblock 212, removing the unused pre-loaded customization content from thesystem memory partition.

In some embodiments, a portion of the total customization content may bedelivered in the provisioning payload, wherein the portion of thecustomization content delivered in the provisioning payload may compriseone or more of: customer service number, messaging platform, IP addressand port number, client identification, and market catalogs. In otherembodiments, the total customization content may be pre-loaded onto themobile device and referenced by the file locator. In some embodiments,the size of the provisioning payload may be reduced because at leastsome of the customization content is pre-loaded on the mobile device.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a method 300 for customizing a mobile device isdescribed. The method 300 comprises, at block 302, wirelessly receivinga provisioning payload on the mobile device, wherein the payloadcomprises one or more file locator. In some embodiments, the filelocator may comprise a uniform resource identifier (URI) string. Atblock 304, the method 300 may comprise accessing pre-loadedcustomization content based on the file locator (or URI string), whereinfile locator directs to at least a portion of pre-loaded customizationcontent stored in a system memory partition of the mobile device. Atblock 306, the method 300 may optionally comprise storing a copy of thepre-loaded customization content from the system memory partition of themobile device to a carrier memory partition of the mobile device.

At block 308, the method 300 may comprise completing a customizationprocess for the mobile device using the customization content stored inthe system memory partition. In some embodiments, the method 300 mayoptionally comprise, at block 310, returning the mobile device tofactory default settings, wherein the customization content persists inthe carrier memory partition of the mobile device through the return tofactory default settings. In some embodiments, a portion of the totalcustomization content may be delivered in the provisioning payload. Insome embodiments, the customization process is completed by aprovisioning application on the mobile device. In some embodiments, thefile locator may comprise one of a uniform resource identifier (URI)string or a uniform resource locator (URL) string. In some embodiments,the customization content may be brand or enterprise specific.

FIG. 4 depicts the mobile device 400, which is operable for implementingaspects of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure should notbe limited to these implementations. Though illustrated as a mobilephone, the mobile device 400 may take various forms including a wirelesshandset, a pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a gaming device,or a media player. The mobile device 400 includes a display 402 and atouch-sensitive surface and/or keys 404 for input by a user. The mobiledevice 400 may present options for the user to select, controls for theuser to actuate, and/or cursors or other indicators for the user todirect. The mobile device 400 may further accept data entry from theuser, including numbers to dial or various parameter values forconfiguring the operation of the handset. The mobile device 400 mayfurther execute one or more software or firmware applications inresponse to user commands. These applications may configure the mobiledevice 400 to perform various customized functions in response to userinteraction. Additionally, the mobile device 400 may be programmedand/or configured over-the-air, for example from a wireless basestation, a wireless access point, or a peer mobile device 400. Themobile device 400 may execute a web browser application which enablesthe display 402 to show a web page. The web page may be obtained viawireless communications with a base transceiver station, a wirelessnetwork access node, a peer mobile device 400 or any other wirelesscommunication network or system.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the mobile device 400. While a varietyof known components of handsets are depicted, in an embodiment a subsetof the listed components and/or additional components not listed may beincluded in the mobile device 400. The mobile device 400 includes adigital signal processor (DSP) 502 and a memory 504. As shown, themobile device 400 may further include an antenna and front end unit 506,a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 508, a baseband processing unit 510,a microphone 512, an earpiece speaker 514, a headset port 516, aninput/output interface 518, a removable memory card 520, a universalserial bus (USB) port 522, an infrared port 524, a vibrator 526, akeypad 528, a touch screen liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touchsensitive surface 530, a touch screen/LCD controller 532, a camera 534,a camera controller 536, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver538. In an embodiment, the mobile device 400 may include another kind ofdisplay that does not provide a touch sensitive screen. In anembodiment, the DSP 502 may communicate directly with the memory 504without passing through the input/output interface 518. Additionally, inan embodiment, the mobile device 400 may comprise other peripheraldevices that provide other functionality.

The DSP 502 or some other form of controller or central processing unitoperates to control the various components of the mobile device 400 inaccordance with embedded software or firmware stored in memory 504 orstored in memory contained within the DSP 502 itself. In addition to theembedded software or firmware, the DSP 502 may execute otherapplications stored in the memory 504 or made available via informationcarrier media such as portable data storage media like the removablememory card 520 or via wired or wireless network communications. Theapplication software may comprise a compiled set of machine-readableinstructions that configure the DSP 502 to provide the desiredfunctionality, or the application software may be high-level softwareinstructions to be processed by an interpreter or compiler to indirectlyconfigure the DSP 502.

The DSP 502 may communicate with a wireless network via the analogbaseband processing unit 510. In some embodiments, the communication mayprovide Internet connectivity, enabling a user to gain access to contenton the Internet and to send and receive e-mail or text messages. Theinput/output interface 518 interconnects the DSP 502 and variousmemories and interfaces. The memory 504 and the removable memory card520 may provide software and data to configure the operation of the DSP502. Among the interfaces may be the USB port 522 and the infrared port524. The USB port 522 may enable the mobile device 400 to function as aperipheral device to exchange information with a personal computer orother computer system. The infrared port 524 and other optional portssuch as a Bluetooth® interface or an IEEE 802.11 compliant wirelessinterface may enable the mobile device 400 to communicate wirelesslywith other nearby handsets and/or wireless base stations.

The keypad 528 couples to the DSP 502 via the interface 518 to provideone mechanism for the user to make selections, enter information, andotherwise provide input to the mobile device 400. Another inputmechanism may be the touch screen LCD 530, which may also display textand/or graphics to the user. The touch screen LCD controller 532 couplesthe DSP 502 to the touch screen LCD 530. The GPS receiver 538 is coupledto the DSP 502 to decode global positioning system signals, therebyenabling the mobile device 400 to determine its position.

FIG. 6A illustrates a software environment 602 that may be implementedby the DSP 502. The DSP 502 executes operating system software 604 thatprovides a platform from which the rest of the software operates. Theoperating system software 604 may provide a variety of drivers for thehandset hardware with standardized interfaces that are accessible toapplication software. The operating system software 604 may be coupledto and interact with application management services (AMS) 606 thattransfer control between applications running on the mobile device 400.Also shown in FIG. 6A are a web browser application 608, a media playerapplication 610, and JAVA applets 612. The web browser application 608may be executed by the mobile device 400 to browse content and/or theInternet, for example when the mobile device 400 is coupled to a networkvia a wireless link. The web browser application 608 may permit a userto enter information into forms and select links to retrieve and viewweb pages. The media player application 610 may be executed by themobile device 400 to play audio or audiovisual media. The JAVA applets612 may be executed by the mobile device 400 to provide a variety offunctionality including games, utilities, and other functionality.

FIG. 6B illustrates an alternative software environment 620 that may beimplemented by the DSP 502. The DSP 502 executes operating systemsoftware 628 (for example an operating system kernel) and an executionruntime 630. The DSP 502 executes applications 622 that may execute inthe execution runtime 630 and may rely upon services provided by theapplication framework 624. Applications 622 and the applicationframework 624 may rely upon functionality provided via the libraries626.

FIG. 7 illustrates a computer system 700 suitable for implementing oneor more embodiments disclosed herein. The computer system 700 includes aprocessor 702 (which may be referred to as a central processor unit orCPU) that is in communication with memory devices including secondarystorage 704, read only memory (ROM) 706, random access memory (RAM) 708,input/output (I/O) devices 710, and network connectivity devices 712.The processor 702 may be implemented as one or more CPU chips.

It is understood that by programming and/or loading executableinstructions onto the computer system 700, at least one of the CPU 702,the RAM 708, and the ROM 706 are changed, transforming the computersystem 700 in part into a particular machine or apparatus having thenovel functionality taught by the present disclosure. It is fundamentalto the electrical engineering and software engineering arts thatfunctionality that can be implemented by loading executable softwareinto a computer can be converted to a hardware implementation by wellknown design rules. Decisions between implementing a concept in softwareversus hardware typically hinge on considerations of stability of thedesign and numbers of units to be produced rather than any issuesinvolved in translating from the software domain to the hardware domain.Generally, a design that is still subject to frequent change may bepreferred to be implemented in software, because re-spinning a hardwareimplementation is more expensive than re-spinning a software design.Generally, a design that is stable that will be produced in large volumemay be preferred to be implemented in hardware, for example in anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), because for largeproduction runs the hardware implementation may be less expensive thanthe software implementation. Often a design may be developed and testedin a software form and later transformed, by well known design rules, toan equivalent hardware implementation in an application specificintegrated circuit that hardwires the instructions of the software. Inthe same manner as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a particularmachine or apparatus, likewise a computer that has been programmedand/or loaded with executable instructions may be viewed as a particularmachine or apparatus.

The secondary storage 704 is typically comprised of one or more diskdrives or tape drives and is used for non-volatile storage of data andas an over-flow data storage device if RAM 708 is not large enough tohold all working data. Secondary storage 704 may be used to storeprograms which are loaded into RAM 708 when such programs are selectedfor execution. The ROM 706 is used to store instructions and perhapsdata which are read during program execution. ROM 706 is a non-volatilememory device which typically has a small memory capacity relative tothe larger memory capacity of secondary storage 704. The RAM 708 is usedto store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to bothROM 706 and RAM 708 is typically faster than to secondary storage 704.The secondary storage 704, the RAM 708, and/or the ROM 706 may bereferred to in some contexts as computer readable storage media and/ornon-transitory computer readable media.

I/O devices 710 may include printers, video monitors, liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches,dials, mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card readers, paper tapereaders, or other well-known input devices.

The network connectivity devices 712 may take the form of modems, modembanks, Ethernet cards, universal serial bus (USB) interface cards,serial interfaces, token ring cards, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) cards, wireless local area network (WLAN) cards, radiotransceiver cards such as code division multiple access (CDMA), globalsystem for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE),worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and/or otherair interface protocol radio transceiver cards, and other well-knownnetwork devices. These network connectivity devices 712 may enable theprocessor 702 to communicate with the Internet or one or more intranets.With such a network connection, it is contemplated that the processor702 might receive information from the network, or might outputinformation to the network in the course of performing theabove-described method steps. Such information, which is oftenrepresented as a sequence of instructions to be executed using processor702, may be received from and outputted to the network, for example, inthe form of a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave.

Such information, which may include data or instructions to be executedusing processor 702 for example, may be received from and outputted tothe network, for example, in the form of a computer data baseband signalor signal embodied in a carrier wave. The baseband signal or signalembedded in the carrier wave, or other types of signals currently usedor hereafter developed, may be generated according to several methodswell known to one skilled in the art. The baseband signal and/or signalembedded in the carrier wave may be referred to in some contexts as atransitory signal.

The processor 702 executes instructions, codes, computer programs,scripts which it accesses from hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk(these various disk based systems may all be considered secondarystorage 704), ROM 706, RAM 708, or the network connectivity devices 712.While only one processor 702 is shown, multiple processors may bepresent. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as executed by aprocessor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, orotherwise executed by one or multiple processors. Instructions, codes,computer programs, scripts, and/or data that may be accessed from thesecondary storage 704, for example, hard drives, floppy disks, opticaldisks, and/or other device, the ROM 706, and/or the RAM 708 may bereferred to in some contexts as non-transitory instructions and/ornon-transitory information.

In an embodiment, the computer system 700 may comprise two or morecomputers in communication with each other that collaborate to perform atask. For example, but not by way of limitation, an application may bepartitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and/or parallelprocessing of the instructions of the application. Alternatively, thedata processed by the application may be partitioned in such a way as topermit concurrent and/or parallel processing of different portions of adata set by the two or more computers. In an embodiment, virtualizationsoftware may be employed by the computer system 700 to provide thefunctionality of a number of servers that is not directly bound to thenumber of computers in the computer system 700. For example,virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on fourphysical computers. In an embodiment, the functionality disclosed abovemay be provided by executing the application and/or applications in acloud computing environment. Cloud computing may comprise providingcomputing services via a network connection using dynamically scalablecomputing resources. Cloud computing may be supported, at least in part,by virtualization software. A cloud computing environment may beestablished by an enterprise and/or may be hired on an as-needed basisfrom a third party provider. Some cloud computing environments maycomprise cloud computing resources owned and operated by the enterpriseas well as cloud computing resources hired and/or leased from a thirdparty provider.

In an embodiment, some or all of the functionality disclosed above maybe provided as a computer program product. The computer program productmay comprise one or more computer readable storage medium havingcomputer usable program code embodied therein to implement thefunctionality disclosed above. The computer program product may comprisedata structures, executable instructions, and other computer usableprogram code. The computer program product may be embodied in removablecomputer storage media and/or non-removable computer storage media. Theremovable computer readable storage medium may comprise, withoutlimitation, a paper tape, a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, a solid state memory chip, for example analog magnetic tape,compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) disks, floppy disks, jump drives,digital cards, multimedia cards, and others. The computer programproduct may be suitable for loading, by the computer system 700, atleast portions of the contents of the computer program product to thesecondary storage 704, to the ROM 706, to the RAM 708, and/or to othernon-volatile memory and volatile memory of the computer system 700. Theprocessor 702 may process the executable instructions and/or datastructures in part by directly accessing the computer program product,for example by reading from a CD-ROM disk inserted into a disk driveperipheral of the computer system 700. Alternatively, the processor 702may process the executable instructions and/or data structures byremotely accessing the computer program product, for example bydownloading the executable instructions and/or data structures from aremote server through the network connectivity devices 712. The computerprogram product may comprise instructions that promote the loadingand/or copying of data, data structures, files, and/or executableinstructions to the secondary storage 704, to the ROM 706, to the RAM708, and/or to other non-volatile memory and volatile memory of thecomputer system 700.

In some contexts, the secondary storage 704, the ROM 706, and the RAM708 may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium or acomputer readable storage media. A dynamic RAM embodiment of the RAM708, likewise, may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readablemedium in that while the dynamic RAM receives electrical power and isoperated in accordance with its design, for example during a period oftime during which the computer system 700 is turned on and operational,the dynamic RAM stores information that is written to it. Similarly, theprocessor 702 may comprise an internal RAM, an internal ROM, a cachememory, and/or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, sections,or components that may be referred to in some contexts as non-transitorycomputer readable media or computer readable storage media.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating witheach other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through someinterface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically,mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions,and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could bemade without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for provisioning a mobile devicecomprising: wirelessly delivering a provisioning payload to the mobiledevice, wherein the payload comprises one or more file locator, andwherein the mobile device has a plurality of customization content itemspre-loaded to a system memory partition of the mobile device; accessingat least a portion of the pre-loaded customization content based on thefile locator; storing a copy of the pre-loaded customization contentreferenced by the file locator in a carrier memory partition of themobile device; and completing a customization process for the mobiledevice using the customization content stored in the carrier memorypartition.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file locator comprisesa uniform resource identifier string.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe steps of following the file locator, storing a copy of the content,and completing the customization process are completed by acustomization client on the mobile device.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the pre-loaded customization content comprises at least threesets of customization content, wherein each set of customization contentis associated with a different wireless service brand, and the filelocator directs to only one of the sets of customization content.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising removing the unused pre-loadedcustomization content from the system memory partition.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a portion of the total customization content isdelivered in the provisioning payload.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereinthe portion of the customization content delivered in the provisioningpayload comprises one or more of: customer service number, messagingplatform, IP address and port number, client identification, and marketcatalogs.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the total customizationcontent is pre-loaded onto the mobile device and referenced by the filelocator.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-loaded customizationcontent comprises one or more of: graphics, images, audio files, splashscreens, opening screen, backgrounds, and tones.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein the size of the provisioning payload is reduced because atleast some of the customization content is pre-loaded on the mobiledevice.
 11. A method for customizing a mobile device comprising:wirelessly receiving a provisioning payload on the mobile device,wherein the payload comprises one or more uniform resource identifierstring; accessing pre-loaded customization content based on the uniformresource identifier string, wherein the uniform resource identifierstring directs to at least a portion of pre-loaded customization contentstored in a system memory partition of the mobile device; and completinga customization process for the mobile device using the customizationcontent stored in the system memory partition.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising storing a copy of the pre-loaded customizationcontent referenced by the uniform resource identifier string from thesystem memory partition of the mobile device to a carrier memorypartition of the mobile device.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising returning the mobile device to factory default settings,wherein the customization content persists in the carrier memorypartition of the mobile device through the return to factory defaultsettings.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein a portion of the totalcustomization content is delivered in the provisioning payload.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the total customization content used in thecustomization process is pre-loaded onto the mobile device.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the customization process is completed by aprovisioning application on the mobile device.
 17. A method forcustomizing a mobile device comprising: wirelessly receiving aprovisioning payload on the mobile device, wherein the payload comprisescustomization content and one or more file locator; accessing additionalcustomization content based on the file locator; storing thecustomization content in a system memory partition on the mobile device;and completing a customization process for the mobile device using thecustomization content.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprisingpre-loading the additional customization content to a carrier memorypartition of the mobile device.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein thefile locator comprises one of a uniform resource identifier string or auniform resource locator string.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein thecustomization content is brand or enterprise specific.